What Does the Bible Say About Work For Ourselves?

2 Timothy 2:15 ESV / 4 helpful votes

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

Colossians 3:22-24 ESV / 4 helpful votes

Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

Ephesians 4:28 ESV / 4 helpful votes

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

Acts 20:35 ESV / 4 helpful votes

In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Proverbs 14:23 ESV / 4 helpful votes

In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.

Proverbs 6:6 ESV / 4 helpful votes

Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.

Genesis 2:1-25 ESV / 4 helpful votes

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, ...

James 3:13 ESV / 3 helpful votes

Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.

Philippians 2:3 ESV / 3 helpful votes

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV / 3 helpful votes

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Deuteronomy 24:14 ESV / 3 helpful votes

“You shall not oppress a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of the sojourners who are in your land within your towns.

Exodus 23:12 ESV / 3 helpful votes

“Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.

Genesis 2:15 ESV / 3 helpful votes

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

Genesis 1:26-30 ESV / 3 helpful votes

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

James 5:4 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.

Hebrews 11:6 ESV / 2 helpful votes

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Hebrews 10:25 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

1 Timothy 5:18 ESV / 2 helpful votes

For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”

1 Timothy 5:17 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.

1 Timothy 5:8 ESV / 2 helpful votes

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

2 Thessalonians 3:12 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 ESV / 2 helpful votes

For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.

2 Thessalonians 3:7 ESV / 2 helpful votes

For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you,

2 Thessalonians 3:1-18 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. ...

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 ESV / 2 helpful votes

And to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

1 Thessalonians 4:11 ESV / 2 helpful votes

And to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you,

1 Thessalonians 2:9 ESV / 2 helpful votes

For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.

Colossians 3:23 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

2 Corinthians 4:17 ESV / 2 helpful votes

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,

Romans 12:3 ESV / 2 helpful votes

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

Romans 12:2 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 6:23 ESV / 2 helpful votes

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Acts 17:11 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

John 15:5 ESV / 2 helpful votes

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

John 8:32 ESV / 2 helpful votes

And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 3:16-17 ESV / 2 helpful votes

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Luke 10:7 ESV / 2 helpful votes

And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house.

Mark 16:17 ESV / 2 helpful votes

And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;

Matthew 25:14-18 ESV / 2 helpful votes

“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money.

Malachi 3:5 ESV / 2 helpful votes

“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

Jeremiah 22:13 ESV / 2 helpful votes

“Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms by injustice, who makes his neighbor serve him for nothing and does not give him his wages,

Isaiah 66:2 ESV / 2 helpful votes

All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

Ecclesiastes 5:12 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep.

Ecclesiastes 2:24 ESV / 2 helpful votes

There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God,

Proverbs 26:14 ESV / 2 helpful votes

As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed.

Proverbs 22:29 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.

Proverbs 21:25 ESV / 2 helpful votes

The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.

Proverbs 13:4 ESV / 2 helpful votes

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.

Proverbs 12:24 ESV / 2 helpful votes

The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor.

Proverbs 10:6 ESV / 2 helpful votes

Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

Psalm 23:1-6 ESV / 2 helpful votes

A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ...

2 Chronicles 15:7 ESV / 2 helpful votes

But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.”

Deuteronomy 25:4 ESV / 2 helpful votes

“You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.

Leviticus 23:3 ESV / 2 helpful votes

“Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwelling places.

Leviticus 19:13 ESV / 2 helpful votes

“You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning.

Exodus 34:21 ESV / 2 helpful votes

“Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.

Genesis 3:19 ESV / 2 helpful votes

By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Genesis 1:1-31 ESV / 2 helpful votes

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. ...

58 Bible Verses about Work For Ourselves

2 Timothy 2:15 ESV / 4 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Colossians 3:22-24 ESV / 4 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Ephesians 4:28 ESV / 4 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Acts 20:35 ESV / 4 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Proverbs 14:23 ESV / 4 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Proverbs 6:6 ESV / 4 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Genesis 2:1-25 ESV / 4 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

James 3:13 ESV / 3 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Philippians 2:3 ESV / 3 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV / 3 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Deuteronomy 24:14 ESV / 3 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Exodus 23:12 ESV / 3 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Genesis 2:15 ESV / 3 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Genesis 1:26-30 ESV / 3 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

James 5:4 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Hebrews 11:6 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Hebrews 10:25 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

1 Timothy 5:18 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

1 Timothy 5:17 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

1 Timothy 5:8 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

2 Thessalonians 3:12 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

2 Thessalonians 3:10 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

2 Thessalonians 3:7 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

2 Thessalonians 3:1-18 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

1 Thessalonians 4:11 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

1 Thessalonians 2:9 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Colossians 3:23 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

2 Corinthians 4:17 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Romans 12:3 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Romans 12:2 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Romans 6:23 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Acts 17:11 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

John 15:5 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

John 8:32 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

John 3:16-17 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Luke 10:7 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Mark 16:17 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Matthew 25:14-18 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Malachi 3:5 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Jeremiah 22:13 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Isaiah 66:2 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Ecclesiastes 5:12 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Ecclesiastes 2:24 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Proverbs 26:14 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Proverbs 22:29 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Proverbs 21:25 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Proverbs 13:4 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Proverbs 12:24 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Proverbs 10:6 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Psalm 23:1-6 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

2 Chronicles 15:7 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Deuteronomy 25:4 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Leviticus 23:3 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Leviticus 19:13 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Exodus 34:21 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Genesis 3:19 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

Genesis 1:1-31 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful

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